Vermicomposting 101: How to Create & Maintain a Simple Worm Bin (2023)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ต.ค. 2022
- If you're interested in learning about vermicomposting, this tutorial is for you! Here we share step by step how to make a simple worm bin system using plastic bins for indoor and outdoor composting. We'll discuss the basics of vermicomposting: what it is, how to create a worm bin, and how to maintain it to avoid issues like smells and insects. We'll also answer some questions about vermicomposting, like how much food to feed your worms, how often, and more. So if you're interested in taking your worm bin to the next level, be sure to watch this video!
This video has four main sections:
1. Your Vermicompost as an Ecosystem
2. The Structure of your System: Selecting your Bin
3. Worm Nutrition
4. Key Variables that Impact Worm Health
Worm Castings for Sale: amzn.to/3ZEXfGO
Bone Meal (Worm Grit Level) : amzn.to/3WIu9oN
(The one used in the video came in the 50 pound bag of the same brand)
Biochar (Worn Grit Level and Microbial Habitat): amzn.to/3GC01FM
Mesh Divider (for worm bin): amzn.to/3xhKk14
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
0:30 Intro
1:35 Your worm bin as a living ecosystem
3:30 How to foster the biology inside your bin
3:47 Carbon to nitrogen ratio: the foundation of your bin
4:50 How much food can you feed your worms
5:17 Selecting your worm bin (tote bin system focus)
8:06 Catching system, the lower bin, odor insurance!
11:18 Worm nutrition: what to feed your worms
15:14 Key variables that determine worm health
15:49 Humidity
16:52 Temperature
18;:03 Acidity
I have been a worm farmer for 5 years now. These are by far some of the best videos on TH-cam! Thank you! I know that I can share these with others to help get them started!
Thank you Tara!! I love making these videos! It is a lot of work and time, and I cannot produce them fast enough to trigger the youtube algorithm--yet!! But, I love being able to share what I have learned with folks. Vermicompost is a wonderful tool and resource to help us deal with "waste" and to avoid more food going into landfills. Vermicompost is the best fertilizer I know!
Worm Bin 101 Playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLJQ7A3Z50v5H67itC8VmY6YnQ-X9jpg7R.html
You have the best program about worms so I don't understand low views .Good luck God bless you.
Thank you!!! It is likely because I do not post weekly. It takes a lot of time and energy to produce good quality videos. But, I am hoping to stream line things to post more often without compromising on quality. I appreciate your feedback!!! Thank YOU!
i’m a new worm farmer. it’s only been six months or so. i only have about 120 worms but they’re in a good sized tote container. most of them are juveniles. i hope to make a breeder bin soon. thank you for sharing your knowledge! i’ve learned a lot. i’m in hawaii and the worms live in the house with me. leaving my bin in the garage dried out my bin incredibly fast. thank you again!
Awesome!!! I am glad you enjoy the content. Where did you get the worms?
Great content and entertaining editing results.
Thank you so much!!!
Hi, just commenting for the algorithm. I'm on week one!
Thank you Eleanor!! I appreciate your support. I am here for you! Any questions , just ask!
Howdy 🤠 from Texas. I’m a worm rancher !
You are a good story teller- keep it up
Yeah!!!! Thanks man!
I appreciate all your videos! Been composting with worms for about 3 years and have learned so much from you. THANK YOU!
You are most welcome!!!! Thank you for the comment!!
Great video Franciscooooooo! "I brought two suitcases: one with my clothes, and the other one with my plants."
you know me brother....!
Solid down to earthworm information..!
Thank you Randal! I try to share things I wish I knew when I started. I appreciate it!
Looking to get started. I'm in northeast Connecticut. I'm going to learn all I can and take my time to set it up right. This is very helpful!
Thank you Sunnie! We are here for you if you have any questions. Thank you for the feedback!
Thank you so much for taking the time to break down the information on worm casting. I am a 76-year-old gardener in Bridgeport Connecticut. This is my second year of gardening with a huge yard. I need this information worm castings are so expensive. I now have the information to correct my worm bin before I kill my worms.
Thank you! Happy to help in any way I can!
Just started the worm adventure. I'm SO VERY HAPPY to have found your videos. Very informative. Looking forward to watching all of your videos to learn as much as I can. Thank you
Thank you Lora! Welcome to the world of vermicomposting! Ask any questions you might have.
Your videos are very informative, focused and great source of education, keep it up and keep educating people like me.
I am based in Pakistan, started an outdoor commercial vermicomposting farm about nine months back. May to September successfully managed to save worms from high temp and Monsoon rains . 35-45°C. Monsoon ends here on 15th Sept after which I relaxed and in October when relocating worms I discovered abt 80% worms had died and remaining adults were in bad shape, some short in length 1 inch, inactive, discoloured and compost in the bottom of bed was compacted and in clumps. The good thing was there were millions of newly born baby worms max a week old. I fluffed the beds and shifted some in 20 new indoor bins. With every passing day I observed decrease in baby population, thinking it to be a nature's way of balancing the system. However the decline continued despite my best efforts and now I estimate that only about 300,000-500,000 have survived. Their growth to adult hood is also very slow. This is December and most of them are still juvenile. I use pre-composted cow and buffalo manure for outdoor and indoor beds and bins. Sawdust, dry leaves cardboard for indoor bins as bedding and supplement with home made chow (corn, wheat, barley, and egg shell powder, coffee grind is added in the indoor bins only. I have now changed from windrow to wedge system of composting which seems to be working well. Could you pl advise how to increase the survival rate of babies specially in the outdoor beds. The local weather at this time of the year is very conducive for worm breeding and I want to capitalise on this. Thanks
I use red wigglers due their tolerance to high temp.
Thireshan, first of all, thank you for reaching out. I am sorry your system is struggling a bit. A couple of things that caught my attention: the compaction of the material in the bottom likely caused anaerobic zones. I would increase the amount of leaves and other big brown elements to prevent compaction. Gently turning the system is also an option. I am also concerned about the temperatures you describe. That was likely a stress factor that weakened your colony. I would place the system in the coolest spot you have available with plenty of shade and avoid feeding materials that heat up, at least during the hot months. A good thing might be to have a compost pile to pre-decompose your manure. Manure can heat up quite a bit and that will cause all kinds of problems in your worm bin. As to what to do next, add lots and lots of browns and let the system rest for a few weeks to see what happens. Do not feed fresh food or manure. Also, make sure your baby worms are not pot worms. Pot worms are white tinny worms and they do not grow more than one centimeter or so. Pot worms are white, while baby red wrigglers are pink or red, even as babies. Pot worms love acidic conditions.
Given the temperature and availability of brown material, you might want to make pre-composting a necessary step for your system and only feed that to your system. Feeding chow or grains can increase both temperature and acidity--both of which will negatively impact your red wrigglers. Acidity is also a factor for pot worm proliferation.
If you need further assistance, let me know, and maybe we can find a way to do a video call or a way to exchange some images of your system.
@@GardensofNewEngland I am glad and appreciate your reply. People like you, Steve Churchil of Urban Worm Co. and Arizona worm farm are a source of inspiration and education for beginners like me.
Your analysis of my worm beds is spot on, let me share some of the steps I have taken since October, 22.
1. I pre decompose cattle manure by using Johnson Su bio reactor. I successfully achieved pile temp between 55-60°C without turning. It takes about 18-20 days for full process. These temps are maintained for 3-5 days and then I let it cool down gradually.
2. I have changed from windrow to Wedge system of composting which is working very well. During initial set up we let the eco system develop and then add 2-3 inch layer every 3-4 days. No fluffing is done after initial 10 days.
3. The indoor bins are set up using wood shaving, dry leaves and pre composted cattle manure for 3-5 days and then worm babies collected from outdoor beds are introduced. Two table spoon chow and coffee grind is fed every four days and veg and fruit scrap as required. The bin is fluffed after about 10 days or as required. The problem is that the worm babies ( trust me I know the diff between white pot worms and RW babies☺️) have not grown to adult hood, most of them are 2-3 inches long but still without clitellum, 80-90 days old. I sparingly add cardboard or shredded paper.
Would love to interact on video link and benefit from your experience and knowledge. Will keep you updated on the farm situ. Thanks Francisco.
@@tahirehsan2180 You are most welcome!! Keep up the good work. Sounds as if you have a pretty good handle on things. I think if you allow the worms to be for sometime, you might see cocoons fairly soon. Keep me posted!
It's been a year, and I'm curious how your vermicomposting setup is holding up. Nowadays, I am reading and watching a lot of stuff about vermicomposting with the intent to start a commercial setup with at least five beds, each measuring 25 ft. x 4 ft. This venture would require 125 kgs of worm culture. I would love to learn from your experiences.
Thanks for the great information
You are most welcome Joe!!
I keep procrastinating on starting a bin, because I wasn’t confident on how to do it. Thanks for making it crystal clear. Going to buy bins!
yeah!!!!!! This is the best compliment I have yet received! Any questions or issues, please do not hesitate to reach out!
Brilliant information. Thankyou so much. I now know I dont have near enough carbon within the bins, and youve given me the knowledge to fix the problem.
Rona, than was my issue too! A big game changer for me once I figured it out. I feel as if there is not enough info or emphasis on that balance. So, I wanted to make it as clear as possible. It was a major turn for my bins, for the better! Glad you got value out of the video!
Again ‘ thank you
My pleasure! Anytime!
What interesting has been to observe the worms interactions in my garden. Really nice video with good information
Thank you!!!
Very good job with your engaging video btw ❤
Thank you! 😃 Anthea!
I've been running my worm bins now for about 3 weeks, I have just watched your great video and luckily I have been doing roughly the same as what you've said in the video lol. Good job I researched online a lot before hand. I have been making my own worm food though as not much veg and fruit waste from my kitchen as Im a fast food person ha ha. So currently they get my home made dried powder food I crush and grind. When I do add blended veg I notice the home made worm food I add always disappears more quickly. I add a spray of molasses and rainwater mix to every feed to help the good bacteria boost. I also always add a little powdered egg shell which I grind to a fine powder with a coffee grinder. How long does it take for shredded cardboard to disappear as this is the carbon I add, sometimes I'll add some Japanese maple leaves when they fall from the tree but mostly it's shredded cardboard. My current lot that I first added is still there, not changed at all while the home made worm food and veg scraps disappear within 2-4 days, depending on how much I put in. Thanks
Hi Danny, welcome to the world of worms!!! Cardboard takes a few weeks to break down, depending on the microbial activity. But, that is not a bad thing. You want the bedding/carbon material to break down slowly as it is the home and main source of energy for the microorganisms in your bin. You might want to consider increasing the amount of leaves to continue enriching your system. However, it sound like you have a great system already. The back bone of your bin is the carbon, so keep on adding that generously.
Great videos! Your content is fantastic!
Thank you Steve!!!
Thanks for the information. I learned that I definitely need to add more carbon to my bin.
That's the key to a healthy bin! It will also buffer changes in acidity and temperature! Glad you found it helpful.
Good video! I’m in the learning phase before I start my bin. Starting small with a few containers of Euro nightcrawlers from Walmart and 5 gallon buckets until they multiply enough to justify 18 gal totes.
Awesome! As any questions you might have! Happy to help.
Hi from Ireland. I like your echinacea flowers!
Thank You!!! They are a joy to grow! Come back every year!!
Interesting topic. I'm in the learning process and currently don't have any worms. I live in Missouri.
They are a lot of fun! What are you trying to do?
Thank you so much for providing this guide. I am just starting with worm composting and I got a handful of wrigglers from a neighbor. Right now I’m putting my small container into a cooler for the winter to keep warm as they build up the community. I live in Vancouver, so it doesn’t get that cold here and I am keeping them on my balcony.
That sounds good! As long as water does not freeze solid, outdoors set ups usually work well. Just open the cooler every now and then to have air flow.
Thanks!
Thank you David for checking out my channel!
Thank you for the information. I am trying to start a worm composting bin
How exciting!!! Start slow at first, don't over feed, and you will be in good shape!
Good video
Thank you!!!
I’m just starting, got my worms today! 😁😁😁
oh wow!!! Welcome to vermicomposting! This is a great video to start. Let me know if you have any questions. Happy to help you get things moving in the right direction.
Very nestle explained.🙏
thank you!!!
Thanks so much for this, I've learned a lot and looking forward to creating a better habitat for my worms now 😀
Thank you for the feedback!! Yeah, it is all about nurturing the ecosystem in your bin! Makes it more fun when you think about it that way too. Best of luck, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Your videos are enjoyable to watch and are always packed with information. Thank you.
Awww thank you Jim!! That just make my day!
Have you ever done a video on how you make your bokashi? I would be very interested in that. Thanks again.
@@jimkelly1829 I have not! I have made videos on how to ferment with Bokashi but not on how to make it! good idea!! Thank you!
This is great. thank you
You're very welcome! Glad you like the content!
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for sharing!!
@@GardensofNewEngland I just watch when I can
@@caz826 Thank you for watching!
@@GardensofNewEngland anytime for my YT fam
Happy to have found you 💚Great Channel Francisco💚 What an enjoyable platform with great content!! I so agree with the 90% Carbon to 10% nitrogenous for the new worm bin... & Then to think of the "30%" nitrogen -maybe to consider that a large portion of that will already be in that bedding material -as in some percentage of the unfinished leaves & other organic bits that are still present, along with the 'other' biomass which will contribute to the nitrogen equation❣ %ages are difficult when measured by my preferred 'volume' method, more precise by weighing & certainly a learned 'feel for it' we gain by our experience & by watching how successful worm farmers run their systems💞
The water:nitrogen is also worth contemplating. If we had a looking glass to see how much of a particular 'food' is actually water we would be able to balance that feed with carbon in some cases, & in some cases to add moisture when the inputs are with a low water content!!
Thank you Tee! What have you found out about water:nitrogen ratio? Water is a huge factor in worm bins as necessary as it can be detrimental. One of the benefits of bokashi is that I am able to drain a lot of water out of the food. But, not something I recommend for beginner worm farmers. Bokashi burns quite acidic--but surprisingly not as hot as fresh food scraps. Thank you for the comment and I am glad you found the content helpful.
So glad I found your channel. New to vermicomposting and looking forward to learning from you. Thanks for sharing your vast knowledge and experience.
Awww! Thank you! feel free to ask any questions you might have! Happy to help!
Great info
Thanks for watching!
From Haridwar, India.
oh wow!!!!!!!! Pretty cool! Thank you for saying hello! What kind of system do you have?
Glad to hear I was right not to put a whole pineapple in my brand new bin! Lol
Lol!! Good! I am glad you got value out of watching the video. Let me know if you have any questions.
Im finding this extremly interesting. Im just starting worm farming in Zimbabwe. I farm commercially so I need to do this at a very large scale to be effective in our system. If you have any advice on how to farm worms much larger than hobby size I will realy appreciate.
Hi there Dawid, my advice would be to go slow, at least the first year because you need to understand what the weather will do to your worm farm as well as any issues with local animals. Besides that, monitor the carbon to nitrogen ratio, that's where most people go wrong.
I have had worms for one year next
Month. I have more
Coming today! As we are
Expanding our
Garden area,
I need more
Castings.
This was an awesome video.
I plan on purchasing new bins today and redoing my whole
Operation.
Question,
Do you capture the liquid and how?
And I have
Mealworms
Coming also,
Do you have any suggestions for those?❤️❤️
Robin,
Thanks for checking out the video! In this system, the fluid is absorbed by the wood chips. Eventually they become saturated --and super charged with all that nutrition -- and you need to replace them. I usually add them to garden paths or use them to grow mushrooms. I change my wood chips maybe once a year. I hope that answers your question. Let me know if you need further explanation.
Hi
Thank you for your prompt response
so’ ,,, based on your response ‘ then “yes” this combination of bedding/food/environment should produce good amount of bio-organisms to for example - use on a garden, perhaps inoculate a batch of compost or even perpetuate a steady growing amount of organisms in the 2 gallon bin ¿
let me know your final thought ‘ thank you
You are welcome!
wow! thank you! what are those pink flowers next to you? 🤩
Those are regular echinacea purpurea.
I get slugs in my bottom tray. I had a herd of red wiggles for three years and lost them in a SoCal heat wave this summer. Just got a pound of new wrigglers for my worm factory unit to start again.
Hi Sharon, thanks for watching the video and sharing! For slug, try to figure out where they are coming in. You might have some eggs so it might take some time to break their cycle. I would tuck some liners between the top and bottom bin. The permeable material to cover crops would work great! For heat, I kept my worms in South Pasadena going with ice packs and lowering the amount of fresh food during summer. I made a video on that topic. Here is the link if you want to learn more:
th-cam.com/video/6E-BJOnU1XM/w-d-xo.html
To catch slugs they love stale beer cans
@@bobbybchannel8251 great idea! Have you use that inside of your worm bin? Do worms try to get into the beer?
Thank you for your video I just discovered your content. This is my first year raising worms for my garden and I have a question for you. Would it be beneficial to add store-bought steer manure to a compost bin? Also what do you think about Pete moss and what percentage of a new bin would you recommend? I currently use leaves, cardboard, finely ground egg shells dried in the oven, a little paper some worm castings from my other bin and of course kitchen scraps which I blend before I add them. Currently I have red wigglers and I have some European earth worms coming this week. Thanks so much!
Gary, thank you for the message! I would not add store bought steer manure because that is mostly from factory fed animals with all kinds of potential issues. These cows are also not fed grass so their manure is less than optimal for worm feed. Grass fed cows produce better manure because of the carbon/grass content in the manure. I do not use peat moss because it is not sustainably harvested. You can use coco coir, for same texture. Coco coir sometimes has high levels of salt so some people say you have to wash. I do not use either. I use leaves. In my opinion, the very best bedding is dry leaves--as you are already using. Leaves are sustainable and they have all kinds of trace minerals and nutrients that are plant ready and can help your worms. Leaves are also the natural bedding worms seek out in the wild. I hope that helps!
Love the wood chip idea! Im sorry if you've already, i searched the comments but didn't see t yet.
Is there a certain wood chip that's best or any i should avoid?
The wood chips were a total game changer for me!! I would stay away from using exclusively something like fresh black walnut and eucalyptus. But, I do not pay ANY attention to that given that most piles of wood chips have a mix of everything, mostly white pine and some oak. Once they have been sitting under the sun for a bit the pungency of any oils will start to fade so if you want to be extra safe, you could use wood chips from a pile that has been sitting for a few months. You do not need aged wood chips.
@@GardensofNewEngland thank you!
I find mites and springtails blooms are more associated with overfeeding. Pot worm blooms are more associated with higher acid and moisture levels. I have been vermicimposting since 1989.
Great point! Yeah, overfeeding causes a lot of problems including increase in acidity. I used to get lots of mites and pot worms until I started paying close attention to carbon/nitrogen ratio. The eggshells also help! Thanks for sharing!
Great video! My current problem is cold weather. I began my bin a few months ago and things were going great. I live in the Midwest so I brought the bin into my garage once winter started. Once it started getting really cold I put a layer of leaves on top, wrapped the bin in a wool blanket, and set it on some scrap wood so it’s not sitting directly on the cold concrete. During the recent cold snap I brought my bin inside and it had frozen mostly solid. Once it thawed I saw a few worms survived but not many. However after about a week I noticed “fruit flies” (??) everywhere in my house, so back outside it goes. Any ideas on 1) preventing fruit flies and 2) protecting it any more from cold weather??? Having it in my house just isn’t really possible at this time in my life.
Hi there, I hear you on the cold weather. I live in the Northeast. The bottom line is that if water freezes solid where the bin is located, the worms won't make it. Even if you try to insulate the bin, it is just too cold for them if the bin freezes. One idea I have heard is to use gardening heat pads or another source of heat to keep the bin from freezing. What I do is that I consolidate my worms to one small bin when the weather is extreme so that I can bring them inside without any issues. The bottom bin with wood chips really helps prevent any odors or issues. I am also careful not to overfeed and focus on giving them mainly carbon material. What causes a lot of the problems indoors is over feeding and not having the right carbon to nitrogen ratio. But, I know often times, we have to negotiate with the people we live with and it is a tough idea to have a worm bin indoors. I would try the heat pad and maybe encasing the main bin in.a larger bin and put all the insulation material in the bigger container. If you are able to add the heat mat, it should get you through the worse of winter.
About fruit flies, interestingly enough, what I do is to take the bin outside for a few minutes or hours at the time and let the cold kill them. Again, do not let it freeze past the surface. I would not feed fresh food until the flies are under control because fresh food will only make the problem worse. Feed carbon, lots of dry leaves--can also help with insulation--and let the bin outside uncovered long enough to have the surface flies die--repeat until you have broken their reproductive cycle. Moving forward, freezing or fermenting food scraps usually kill fly eggs. They come in the peels of produce.
Here is an earlier video where I address flies:
th-cam.com/video/CE7uHFYCSRU/w-d-xo.html
Keep me posted!
What are your thoughts about using biochar in the bottom bin?
Tiffany, I do it!! I am not sure if you have seen my other video on Worms and Biochar. I show how I use biochar in both, top and bottom bin. What I do is combine wood chips with biochar. The wood chips collect a lot of fluids and have a coarse texture to them which I think benefits the system as a whole via creating more airflow. Biochar alone might get saturated faster, so I would want to use big pieces. I have always combined them both.
Great videos canei ask what size holes you drill in the bottom of your bins
Thank you!! Glad you found them helpful! 1/16 or 5/64. I like smaller bits rather than large. The key is multiple holes vs big holes.
I am just starting and would like to know what type of flow through bing you would recommend. I would prefer to make it myself.
David, I use regular tote bins and use a divider, usually a piece of mesh or shelving that allows worms to move back and forth. This, in my experience, is the best most simple worm bin. If you check out the video on how to harvest worm castings you can see how I do it. It works great! Any questions you might have, just ask.
Great videos! Awesome and valuable information. I think something happened with audio in some parts of the video.
I have a question! :)
Can you put bones into your system? I’m guessing that you have to ferment those in bokashi first. But, have you done this before? 🤔
Also, I encourage you to continue with your videos. Many people are learning from all the information you give! VERY valuable 🙂👊
Awww! Thank you Jorge!!! I will check the audio to make sure it is all good! Thank you!!
Bones: depending on what kind of bones you are referring to, you might want to consider drying/baking them and crushing or pulverizing them. Then, you can use that material the same way you use eggshells to help lower acidity. They are both calcium material. The things with bones is that they will take a long time to break down if you add them whole. I do not think bokashi will do much to their carbon structure. So, you might end up with big pieces of bones for a long time. You also want to think about safety. If you have splintered bones in your system you could potentially cut your hands when you are handling the compost and with the amount of bacteria in there, you want to be careful. So, whichever way you go, I would try to grind them and use them that way. Unlike dairy and meat, bones can actually be useful in your vermicomposting system.
I hope that helps!
@@GardensofNewEngland thank you for your reply! 🙂 I was doing reference to pork, beef or chicken bones. In case that they have to be dried and crushed, it seems somehow complicated.
What do you suggest doing with dairies and meat. Throwing them to the garbage directly?
Thanks for everything! 😃
@@Gonzalo_M Some folks throw their bones in their fireplace and use the ashes. I am not sure you have a fireplace! With dairy and meat, I would throw them in a regular composting pile or bury into the ground deep enough for animals not the dig them out. Thanks for the engagement Jorge! That helps me grow the channel!
@@GardensofNewEngland I'm actually grateful that you answer to my questions. Many people never answer in their TH-cam Channels.
I will have a fireplace soon. In my new house, I will start compost and vermiculture (never done it before). I saw another of your videos that you speak about biochar. I was thinking in maybe doing my own biochar with a fireplace. Is this possible?
@@Gonzalo_M you are most welcome!! Yeah, you can definitively make your own biochar with a fireplace. Get a cheap turkey pot, one of those that people use to keep turkey moist, and you can put that in your fireplace filled with wood. Biochar is wood burned in the absence of oxygen--thus you need something to contain the combustion and keep the oxygen out. I am sure you can find stuff on youtube about it. You are doing the right thing by learning as much as you can before you dive into it! It is a lot of fun!!! Congrats on your new home!
Thank you for this information. I am starting my worm bin and I would like to learn how to ferment my food scraps that I am going to give the worms but I do not know how. Please help. Egg shells need to be dry and chopped up small? Anything else? Thank you.
Lynn, welcome to vermicomposting!! It is a great practice! Fermenting the food scraps really made a difference for me with indoor composting. You do have to be careful with acidity since bokashi is very acidic when it done. Most organic material usually break down to a neutral ph. But, you do not want to overwhelm the whole system with fermented food. You want to limit to a very small section, specially when you are starting.
The way I ferment my food scraps is using bokashi bran I buy online ( the link t is on the video description. It lasts me longer than 1 year, so good value.) and two 5 gl buckets from home-depot. This is a cheap set up and highly effective. Do not buy a bokashi bucket unless you really want to. With the 5 gl buckets you can ferment a lot more.
Fermentation allows me to time feeding and eliminate fly eggs on vegetables. It also eliminates a lot of excess fluids that would normally end up in your bin. But, again, go easy at first until you learn how to manage acidity. I manage acidity via eggshells and biochar.
Here is an older video where I walk you through the process I follow including how I process the eggshells with a cheap second hand food processor:
th-cam.com/video/omuxBonQUnk/w-d-xo.html
Bokashi bucket:
th-cam.com/video/TOgkSO7GA8U/w-d-xo.html
g'day mate, with what does one ferment food scraps for the worms?, & for how long must it be fermented before adding all the food scraps to the worm bin?, where does one purchase's it either online or make it myself?, i do make my own bone meal, also can i line the bin's holes with extra fine screen mesh?, that way i can avoid roaches as well as flies getting into my worms bin, thank you kindly this video of yours is an excellent example for everyone
Julian, I ferment with Bokashi brand. It’s something you can buy online. A little bit goes a long way! Here’s my process. Takes 2 weeks but be very careful with adding too much food. Always keep that carbon to nitrogen ratio. The good thing is that once fermented, you can bury the excess food into your garden. It’s already composted.
th-cam.com/video/omuxBonQUnk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=v6GlD-sf2icCYx3e
Either make very small holes or use mesh. The key is to keep the bin from smelling bad and have exposed food. That’s what attracts insects.
What’s your set up? Indoors or outdoors?
One question I have about the pH and using eggshells. We don’t eat eggs so we never have egg shells. Do you think using gypsum is a good idea? And how would you do this to balance pH and add some calcium to the mix?
Anthea, I have the same issue! I stopped eating eggs. I ask my family members who eat eggs to save the eggshells for me. They are usually happy to do so. Another option is agriculture lime or wood ash, but use very carefully since they can really alter the ph in your garden. I have no experience using gypsum so I cannot speak to that. I have been using biochar in combination with eggshells. I have read folks use oyster shells but they are really hard to pulverize. If I was to buy anything, I would buy organic eggs and use their shells to be honest. Even if I do not eat the eggs. The calcium and grit combo is quite good.
eggshells once dry are very easy to crush and store, my family live in TX and they save them for me. I usually get a big bag once a year and that is enough.
Hi! Thank you for all the great info! Regarding the woodchips in the bottom. Are you then using the woodchips to make compost tea? What is the next stage in the use of the woodchips if they are sitting on the bottom of the worm bin on top and you aren't collecting worm juice? Thanks!
Brian, I inoculate my wood chips with edible mushroom mycelia, King Stropharia. After they are saturated, I bring them to the garden and allow the mushrooms to fruit. I change my wood chips about once per year so it is not a lot of them. You do need to give the mushroom more wood chips if you want a decent mushroom harvest. King Stropharia or Wine Cap can grown under sun, so it is perfect for vegetable garden paths or for mulching. King stropharia can establish symbiotic relationships with trees, so the mushroom helps orchards and other trees that need fungi to extract nutrients from the ground. Here is a video where I share how I use the mycelia in my system.
th-cam.com/video/bX4Zo9bhIRA/w-d-xo.html
PS. The fluids that come out of your vermicomposting system is not "tea" is just excess fluids and sometimes highly acidic. It does not have the same fertilizer value as tea made with vermicompost. Be careful if you use it in your garden. It can be too acidic and cause problems.
@@GardensofNewEngland Thank you so much - I appreciate the info. Are you in New England? I'm getting ready to set up a system - and it would be cool to check out what you have going on. Thanks again - I'll check out this video!
@@R.O.O. You are most welcome!! I have gardens in New England and winter in NY. Worms are in NY in winter and in Southern VT the rest of the year. We can do a video call or facebook life thing if you want to check out my set up and share yours.
@@GardensofNewEngland very cool. I’m in Fairfield CT just outside NYC. I currently teach school do my available time switches every day. If there’s a better time for you generally let me know. 👍
@@R.O.O. I am available most afternoons after 4 pm and we can work something out during a weekend.
What are you dividing the two sides with?
I use pieces of mesh shelving. You can use about anything that allows worms to get through, even a piece of wood can do.
Hi again
question: what is the better ratio of bio-char to bedding ?
I keep 2 gallon bins
32 cups of bedding = 2 gallons of bedding
about how much bio-char would I add to a 2 gallon bin to maintain a functional ratio ?
please and thx
Biochar is carbon, same as bedding, you can probably 5-10% compared to regular bedding. But, a small amount goes a very long way. I add it on top of my fresh food scraps along with eggshells to help neutralize acidity. You can't really add too much because it is carbon material, just like bedding, but in a decay-resistant format.
Hi’
Request your input / opinion
I follow and understand the information in your videos thus far
with that said ‘
back story: if my worm bin consist of - coir, peat moss, perlite, limestone, and mycorrhizae,,, 2 gallon bin, 200 red worms, and 8 weeks of the worms chopping on this only,,, no additional food
Question: will this produce “good enough” worm castings , to use for plants ??
I hope this makes scenes’ thanks let me know your thoughts ‘ Sir
Hi T,
That combination should produce some quality castings. You can also try dry leaves as bedding since they have a lot of minerals--and depending on where you are, they can be readily available. Peat Moss is not sustainably harvested so I would stay away from it just for environmental reasons. Also, be careful with how much lime you add because it can be very potent in your vermicompost (making it more alkaline) which will likely not bother your worms but if you have plants that do not like alkaline soil, it will meddle with their nutrient intake. Lime goes a long way inside of a worm bin. Use eggshells instead if you can. Other than that, sounds pretty good! Think about what is free and readily available in you area and see if it can be used as carbon or nitrogen. I hope that helps! Thank you for checking out the video!!
I am in the research/ very interested stage. Enjoyed your video and screen shots. I live on a farm, and we have Chicken, baby chick on wood shavings and Horse manure mixed with hay, after research I learned that it's going to require a larger system and aging those items. So, I think to get accustomed to the idea and process I will build a small system and as suggested will keep in my home. I am in a semi tropical hot climate 75% of the time. When you open a bin system, I see things crawling on the sides, not the worms the other bugs, what keeps those in the bin? Do you think an outdoor system will attract roaches and how do I eliminate this as that might be a deal breaker?
Outdoor sytem in tropical weather will likely attract roaches, specially if the system is open. I would do system enclosed with mesh or window screen. Roaches are a serious issue and once they settle in, it is very hard to eliminate them. Plan ahead and be careful. Precomposting the food mattter will eliminate the bad smells and make the system less alluring to insects.
Thank you! Yes, what I was afraid of....... window screen is a great tip. Thank you for the reply@@GardensofNewEngland
@@theangryrooster2113 you are welcome!! Best of luck!
Is course biochar better or powder fine biochar? I can powder it easy with a coffee grinder
Depends on your preference. I like to bigger particles, but I bought this one online and it is crushed. You do not want powdered biochar since the idea is to add a bit more structure. But, fine crushed is ok too.
What about the mushroom inoculation you use?
I use king stropharia--a small amount goes a long way. Do not use all your material at once. Better to keep some spawn in wood chips to add directly to your garden.
I also use it to feed the worms by adding it to cardboard and having the mushroom mycelium spread. Worms love mushrooms, high protein without the risk of using grains.
th-cam.com/video/mLRjnT47iUQ/w-d-xo.html
Can I use straw instead of wood chips in the bottom bin?
You can but it is more likely to compact under the weight of the top bin and go anaerobic. It will also become saturated a lot faster so you will have to change more often. I change the chips about once or twice a year! They are big solid particles that create space between each other allowing air to circulate--thus reducing the likelihood of anaerobic conditions from forming. You can also use bark if wood chips are not handy; just get the largest size you can get. Air circulation is the key here! I hope that helps!
How are you fermenting the food waste you are using?
I am using bokashi fermentation. Super easy! Here is video where I go more in depth. I need to make another one soon to update, but it is all there.
th-cam.com/video/omuxBonQUnk/w-d-xo.html
Hello
Hello! Welcome to the channel!
Hello , I breed worms in piles what is your advice ?
Matt, the same principles apply. Make sure there is plenty of carbon, that the piles are not overheating and that there's good airflow. If you have specific questions, let me know.
Hi there! I've decided to more or less copy your exact system. However, I'm someone living in SoCal and I don't have access to alot of leaves. In fact, I would like to avoid using anything found outside in socal due to the pollution.
I have taken time to make a bokashi system. And it will be ready to be transfered into the worm bin on 11/01.
I have coconut coir for the "dirt", as well as charcol and egg shells to mix with the bokashi. I'll be using a combination of screen mesh and cardboard to create space between everything.
My big question is: what would you use to mix with the coconut coir to replace leaves as the extra carbon. I don't have a reliable source of leaves I would be comfortable using considering the pollution to the area.
I plan on starting the bin once the bokashi is ready, should I take more time for the worm colony to settle or should I make sure to use a small amount of bokashi to get it started?
Michael,
Great questions! As I mentioned in my video, I started vermicomposting in SoCal and I hear you about the pollution. It was a big question for me when I was gardening in the San Gabriel Valley. One thing I heard, which might be worth some research, is that trees and plants in general are pretty good at keeping pollutants off of their tissue. I am not sure how that would translate into dry leaves. I did use oak leaves to compost horse manure in Malibu and they worked pretty well. You also want to read about different pollutants in your area and how they break down. That might help you better understand the level of risk involved in different scenarios.
You definitively need a lot of carbon readily available. I would look into brown cardboard and potentially buying some bales of organic hay or straw. Hay and straw can have seeds so keep that in mind when you purchase. Hay is also green at first so you need to dry it very well or it will heat up. You need a lot of carbon material so you want something you can sustain without hitting your pocket too hard. Feed and Bin stores are pretty good about carrying bales of organic hay and straw in So Cal. It would be a lot cheaper than buying the bag stuff at the store. Brown cardboard is pretty good. I use it in combination with leaves. But, there is also the question of not knowing exactly what they are putting into glues and cardboard. I only use ink-free cardboard and hope for the best.
The reality of it is that we are exposed to a lot of pollutants so you are doing to right thing by trying to manage risk of exposure. Also, keep a diet rich in antioxidants to help our bodies adjust.
Bokashi is very acidic when it is fresh! So be really careful if you have new worms because the biology to help you break down the food scraps is not yet there. I would start with A LOT of carbon and a small amount of bokashi covered with eggshells and biochar or just the eggshells. Give worms plenty of options to move away from the bokashi until they sense the right conditions are there. That is the most important thing: give worms options to move away from fresh food. It might not be a bad idea to wait until you have a more established colony; but if you are using a small amount it should be ok. Do it once, and wait for them to process it all before daring to go further. Once your system is in place and working, you can push it a lot--specially with a lower bin full of wood chips.
I think I covered all your questions! But feel free to reach out if you have more questions! Go easy and slow, and you should be good! It took me years to fine-tune my system, but now it works pretty effortless. Yours will to!!
@@GardensofNewEngland Wow! Thanks for taking the time to respond. I live in the Escondido area myself! I'll see if any of my friends have leaves but I think I'll try the straw/hay option first!
I'll have the woodchips set up before I do the bokashi so I'll probably just start putting alot of cardboard in the space, and filling in the last bit with bokashi. Then slowly add more as time goes on until I hit the 70/30 ratio.
@@michaelmcgillicuddy7770 you are most welcome!!!! Do not hesitate to ask any questions.
My bin is 2 weeks old. I used carsboard, newspaper, solk, codfee grounds, and some frozen food. I put holes in the top and sides. I keep it in my house. When I put the lid on, some of them crawl out of the bedding up the sides. When i take it off and cover with newspaper, theyvstaybin the bedding. What can be going on?
When the conditions are optimal inside your bin, worms will crawl on the inside walls of the bin. They are grazing for bacteria that thrives in that area. Totally normal! What you want to keep an eye out is for things like mites or worms actually getting out of the bin. Both can be a sign of the conditions in the bin being a bit off. You want to stick to that carbon to nitrogen ratio of 3 to 1 and make sure you are adding a dusting of eggshells on top of fresh food. I hope that helps!
Instead of wood chips can you put shredded cardboard in the bottom bin?
Unfortunately cardboard or any other type of soft material will VERY likely compress. The benefit of wood chips is that they are hard enough not to compress under the weight of the top bin, allowing for air circulations which is the main element you want down there. Wood chips will also absorb a lot more moisture than cardboard before they become saturated. I hope that helps!
@@GardensofNewEngland it do helps. Just on a side note my bucket on top have screws on each side so it won't get stuck when I'm lifting it up. Can that work? Or are woodchips still better? Sorry just trying to learn.
@@quincyx9372 Quincy, no need to apologize! We are all learning. If you can keep the weight from the top bin from compacting the cardboard, that can work. You still have less absorption capacity. My question is, what is your resistant to wood chips? They are a better option; but if you don't have them around, then I would use cardboard.
How is the math for 70% C to 30% N the same as 50:1?
70:30 reduces to 7:3
50:1 is 50/51:1/51 or 98% C to 2% N
You want there to be close to 3 times more carbon than nitrogen at any given time.
Do u ever use dolomite powder in your vermicompost bin
I have not tried it! Have you? Are you using it instead of eggshells?
I have only just discovered your channel, and already can see it is one of the best 👌🏼.
I am about 2 weeks into worm farming using plastic tote system. I drilled lots of holes in the sides for air circulation, but none in the lid. trouble is , worms keep escaping.
I've tried them inside garage and outside in garden.
I don't want to keep a light over them constantly to stop them escaping. the plan was to put them under cover in garden but I don't feel I can leave them as things are.
any help greatly appreciated
Jay, thank you for your kind words!!! I try to create quality content for the vermicomposting community. It takes a lot of work!! So, messages like yours are very encouraging! Thank you!!
What breed of worms did you get? Blues are notorious for trying to escape. But, the main thing is to make them a good home inside the bin, moisture and good cool temperature. Do not feed more fresh food scraps until they stop trying to escape at this point because fresh food in a brand new bin might be causing too much acidity or heat to build up. How is the carbon to nitrogen ration (food scraps to bedding ration)?You might need to play worm wrangler for a bit, but it should subside after a couple of weeks if things in the bin are good. Do you sense any heat coming out of your bin? If so, that's a problem. Also, have you thought about the bottom bin with wood chips? They will likely scape into that before trying to get completely out of your system.
I got tiger worms (red wigglers) haven't noticed any heat coming from the bin, although I just fed it today with lettuce and banana peels. am I best to remove these and let the bin establish first?
regarding the bin underneath, I have one filled with shredded cardboard in an attempt to begin the microbial activity before putting worms in, should I replace this with woodchip?
thankyou for taking the time to reply.
I really want to make sa success of the worm farming
@@jaychet I gather you have a stacking system and not a tote bin, correct? If that is the case, the bottom bin with cardboard should be good. The wood chips work for tote bin, you stack two tote bins with wood chips in the bottom. When was the last time you fed them before adding the last batch of banana peels and lettuce?
How is your carbon to nitrogen ratio, meaning how much bedding is there in relation to the fresh food? This later part is the key to success.
yes sorry, its essentially 3 large containers stacked on top of each other. the bottom one is empty to catch excess liquid. then just damp cardboard in the one above, then the worms are in the top one,
I filled it with equal parts (ish) cococoir/japanese maple leaves/shredded cardboard.
I have only fed it bits really as didn't want to over feed. and I removed the food this morning and placed it back in the freezer whilst causing as little disturbance as possible.
currently lid is off top box with a light above. quite a few worms collecting between top and second box( maybe a dozen) each time I check.
but as soon as I try the lid on top box , they do seem to get out straight away. not all the worms, but more than I would like.
I have added more carbon when I removed the food and then just a few coffee grounds .
I think I'm just gonna leave it for a week now , and see how they settle down. unless there is something else you would recommend?
thanks again for taking the time. I look forward to learning and improving from your channel
I did also add a couple handfuls of dirt from a nearby woodland.
could it be that the bin just wasn't set up long enough before I put the worms in?
even so, it should be OK by now shouldn't it? or does it take a long time?
Worm farmer for past 10 years, passionate about them. Working on first book "justwormz" have learned so much and enjoy watching your video. Thanks. I freeze their food, puree and refreeze in ice cube trays this was its an easy way for indoor farming. I do not feed them any manures only food and organics.💩💩💩💩They produce the most beautiful casts.
That is awesome!! Thank you for sharing Patricia!!! I am so glad you have learned and gotten value out of the videos. They take a lot of work and comments such as yours, go a long way!